


Intoxicated

by CitrusCutie127



Category: Young Justice (Cartoon)
Genre: Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Friendship, Love, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-08-15
Updated: 2014-08-15
Packaged: 2018-02-13 07:59:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,875
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2143200
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CitrusCutie127/pseuds/CitrusCutie127
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"She was intoxicated by the idea of becoming a hero, of becoming someone who can easily distinguish the fine line between right and wrong."</p>
<p>One-shot featuring Artemis, Wally, and a surprising special guest.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Intoxicated

**Author's Note:**

> After quite a long hiatus, I am officially returning to the Young Justice fanfiction world. Over the past year, I was overwhelmed with a variety of personal and family issues. I had forgotten how much I love writing, and how much I enjoy putting my thoughts and ideas into words. Writing allows me to try to make sense of my surroundings, to extract the kernel of truth hiding in the crazy, complex world that we live in. 
> 
> Although I have been a long-time fanfiction writer (I have an account under the same username on Fanfiction.net), this is my first time publishing a story on AO3. All constructive criticism and feedback are greatly appreciated.
> 
> This one-shot takes place after the episode "Insecurity" from Season 1.

** Intoxicated **

_“Once you take to the habit of deception, every new lie comes that much easier. Though to me it wasn’t so much lies as a matter of judicious editing. We all invariably present a version of ourselves that is a collection of half-truths and exclusions. The way I saw it, the truth was too complicated, whereas the chosen lie would put everyone’s mind at ease. Why gum up the works with information nobody wants?” –Caroline Kettlewell, Skin Game_

* * *

 

She is definitely, unequivocally, undoubtedly drunk. 

The room spun as she tried to focus on the blaring television screen in front of her, the ice cubes in her glass clinking as she raised the cup to her lips. She shakily threw her head back and allowed the cold liquid to slither into her mouth, her throat burning as the recoiling taste of vodka made its way to the pit of her stomach. 

“I have officially hit rock bottom,” The blond archer mumbled to herself, reclining on her gray couch as she twirled the clear cup with her fingertips, the remaining vodka sloshing over the rim of the glass. The aftertaste of the alcohol lingered in her mouth, serving as a foul reminder of her earlier decision to consume such a beverage.

She remembered Jade would have nights when she would come home exhausted and frustrated, a tiny brown flask tucked in the pocket of her forest green fleece. She would stand by the doorway and survey their dilapidated apartment, eyeing its bleak furniture and bare beige walls with outright contempt and disgust. She would tousle her dark locks, collapse onto the shapeless sofa, and tip her head back to consume the clear yet deadly liquid contained in her little brown flask.

Artemis shuddered at the memory, recalling how she would leave their bedroom door slightly ajar so she could monitor her sister’s condition. Sometimes she would fall asleep right by their bedroom entrance, her head tucked uncomfortably in the crook of her arms. Although Jade never acknowledged her presence, the blond archer would always find herself in the comfort of her bed by daylight, the duvet tucked snugly around her slim body.

She winced as the thought of Jade, drinking to drown her frustration and contempt, washed over her. Their lives are forever intertwined in a web of confusion and deceit, with only one common, excruciating link to constantly remind them of the inevitable emotional bond they share. 

Artemis clenched her hand tighter around her glass, struggling to contain the fury slithering up her spine and the sorrow seething at a point behind her throat. She took another indignant swig of the glass, the alcohol-infused ice cubes clinking uncomfortably against her teeth. The vodka warmed her stomach and numbed her senses, but could not drown out the thoughts and emotions that were haunting her mind.

_“Artemis? Are you that freaked out about Arrow joining the team you had to prove yourself by bringing down the bad guys solo?” Kid Flash demanded, his emerald eyes blazing with anger and disappointment, “Please tell me I’m wrong.”_

Artemis longed to look into his crystal clear eyes, to tell him all the things he wanted to hear and strived to believe. She loathed the disappointment etched on his face as he dropped the sigh they had retrieved from Cheshire and departed the room. His words continued to ring in her ears, paralyzing her judgment and rattling her conscience. It was all she could do not to collapse in front of Aqualad and Red Arrow, to expose the extent his words had affected her.

Her current life, her new identity, is comprised of a collection of meticulously crafted half-truths and deceptions; they were interwoven so well that as she continued to spin the web and deceive her teammates, she began to believe the lies as well.

She was entrapped in a web of her own making.

The truth is, she was more similar to Cheshire, to Sportsmaster, than she would like to admit. How else was she able to find Jade’s fake ID, tucked underneath her naked mattress and abandoned bed? Why else would she be consuming alcohol alone after a failed mission, simply because she was rattled by a know-it-all redhead’s words?

It was so easy to get caught up in her own lie, to believe that she had the ability to abandon her poisonous, toxic past. Her mentor, teammates, even _Baywatch_ , filled her with optimism and hope that one can be given a clean slate, an opportunity to start all over again.

She was intoxicated by the idea of becoming a hero, of becoming someone who can easily distinguish the fine line between right and wrong.

She smirked, finding it surreal to believe Kid Flash’s – no, _Baywatch’s_ – words could leave her feeling so helpless and guilty. Over the past few months, their initial hostility had evolved into a form of mutual respect and understanding. It was becoming increasingly difficult to maintain her stoic image around his presence, to not reciprocate his affections when he tosses a smile her way or jabs her playfully in the shoulder.

_Stupid Wally._

An abrupt knock startled her out of her drunken daze, and the archer warily placed her glass cup on the coffee table next to the sofa. She stumbled into the kitchen and scrambled to find a knife, tucking it into the sleeve of her white thermal shirt. Even intoxicated, she would not risk the chance of having a villain catch her unarmed and helpless. 

The knocking persisted.

“Coming,” Artemis grumbled, pulling at the sleeve of her shirt to conceal the tiny blade. She kept the chain attached to the door flame locked and opened the door cautiously, internally sighing with relief when she realized it was only the Boy Wonder standing in front of her apartment. He flashed her a wary smile and she sighed, unlocking the door to let him in. 

“What are you doing here? How do you even know I live here?” She demanded, crossing her arms as Robin gingerly stepped into her apartment.

“Is this how you greet all of your visitors?” Robin asked cheerfully, not particularly bothered by his teammate’s crass attitude, “Do you live alone?”

Artemis grunted in response, slamming the badly painted door shut behind her. She quickly entered the kitchen to remove the knife tucked in her sleeve, but not before Robin spotted her action and widened his eyes in surprise and frankly, a little fear

“Wow, I am never coming uninvited again. Who did you think was outside your door?”

“Look, my mother is away at a therapy conference in Chicago, and I am not about to let some psycho catch me unarmed and defenseless,” The blond archer replied, crossing her arms defensively and glaring at her caped teammate from across the kitchen counter, “So are you here to chitchat, or to blame me, like what Kid Flash and Red Arrow did, for the failure of the mission today?” 

Robin was startled by the blond archer’s harsh tone and barely concealed anger and contempt. Her golden mane, usually confined in a tight ponytail, was matted and tousled, as if she had spent hours running her hands through her wiry locks. Her hazel eyes were bloodshot and brimming with unshed tears, although Artemis had attempted to avoid his gaze by focusing on the beige wall behind him. Her archer hands, usually so steady and composed, were shaking uncontrollably in the crook of her arms.

Artemis was oblivious to the fact that Robin was the only one aware of her connection to Sportsmaster. He empathized with her situation, having grown up in a household comprised of nothing but almost-truths and deceits. He understood her need to present an ulterior version of herself to the world, to prove to others that she is capable of breaking away from her former identity.

After all, that was all that he wanted after his parents passed away. He wanted to be known as Robin the hero, and not Robin the orphan. 

“You know, it’s okay to have one bad day,” The Boy Wonder said softly, running his gloved hands through his jet black hair, “You can’t succeed at every mission, that is just not how it works.”

“Didn’t Wally tell you what he told me?” Artemis retorted, slightly slurring her words, “He said what the mission proved was that I am insecure and selfish. I showed that he was right all along about me, that I am a reckless show-off who needs to prove herself at every opportunity.”

“Is this about how Wally sees you then?”

Artemis pursed her lips, afraid to say anything more. Why did this boy, this _thirteen-year-old boy_ , have to be so ridiculously intuitive? She loathed how he was able to see right through her bravado act in a matter of minutes.

“Isn’t everything about the notorious Kid Flash? His quest for justice, happiness, and smoking hot beach babes? When was it ever NOT about what Wally West thinks?” Artemis demanded, slamming her hand down on the kitchen counter. The blow stung but she didn’t care; physical pain was significantly more tolerable than emotional turmoil. 

“When it’s about you.”

The knot in her stomach tightened and swelled, suddenly making it difficult for Artemis to breathe. She clenched her fingers, slightly wincing as her fingernails dug into her calloused palms. Robin sighed, moving over to the living room and gesturing Artemis to sit down on the sofa. She followed reluctantly, struggling to maintain her last shred of sobriety.

“Look, I don’t really understand this whole…I-hate-you-but-I-secretly-like-you thing you guys have going on,” Robin said, lifting his finger just as the blond archer tried to interrupt, “However, I was there when Wally thought you died in that alien invasion exercise, and all of us could feel his hurt, his anger, his frustration reverberating in the room. It felt real to him, it felt real to _all of us_ , but it took him days to put himself back together.”

Artemis frowned and turned her head, wanting to look at anything, _anything_ , except for her teammate’s penetrating gaze. Even with that mask, he had a way of communicating with his eyes, and it made Artemis extremely uncomfortable.

“Wally was the one who asked me to stop by, you know,” Robin persisted, wanting the archer to truly take in his words, “You know how stubborn he is. He never backs down from a fight, especially one that involves you. He knew you wouldn’t want to listen to him.”

Smiling slightly, the thirteen-year-old trickster could not help but add, “He also wouldn’t want to know that I just told you that, too.”

The archer sighed, allowing her body to collapse onto the sofa. It was so difficult to hold onto all this hate, all this anger, when all she wanted to do was to tell her team, to tell _Wally_ , the truth. The annoying, infuriating, poke-his-nose-in-your-business Wally West.

“So what do I do now, pretend like nothing happened between us? Believe that he cares, even though he said I am insecure and selfish?” 

“We all say things during the heat of the moment,” Robin said, turning his head to smile at the archer. 

“But that doesn’t mean we don’t care.”


End file.
